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I’ve been quite derisory of progressive music in recent months; it comes as a surprise then to find something as focused and enjoyable as this, but I’m not complaining.

Slow Release does exactly what it says on the tin. These are slowburning, longlasting tracks that are completely devoid of cheesy gimmickery and codslut electro, opting instead for such desperately unfashionable things like hypnotic grooves, oldstyle Germanic trance hooks, and evocative, unfolding music.

Embark opens with a remix of Antix’s Le Lascard, a track that I thought I’d heard done to death by everyone and his dog. This take is more muted, where original is more alluded to than remixed. Brisker & Magitman’s Clockwork is sheer bliss, a ten-minute lesson in what trance is supposed to be all about. The layering here is exquisite – it simply suggests ideas to you, then smoothly develops them. No rush, no stress.

Eegor’s Prime Groover takes things a little more tribal, bringing together indoor and outdoor elements. Meanwhile D-Sens & Sirius Smooth’s Tribalizer is the definition of the anatomy of this blend of outdoor progressive music, with everything in the right place at the right time.

Wombat’s Ride Control is the moneyshot – Sun Control’s new project is so smooth it’s as though he gave his synths a Brazilian waxing before smoothing their skin with olive oil. In a way. It’s not all beer and skittles, though: Fog Feat V Point’s Seduction sounds unfinished and is too long and wandering by half, and while Antix’s remix of Sun Control Species’ Nameless Blameless is fun, it’s far from the abject brilliance that would occur if they did the decent thing and worked on a proper collaboration together.

Still, Slow Release is decent and the tracks all share a common characteristic, a sort of focussed-moodiness-without- being-grumpy which, for my money, sets it apart from the crowd.

8